Gulf Spill Paymaster Defends Progress While Weighing Changes

The paymaster managing the claims in the Gulf oil disaster says that he hopes to speed the payments, but that many claims don’t have sufficient documentation. He also said he’s thinking about some changes to make things clearer to claimants.

Kenneth Feinberg, the independent paymaster who took over managing Gulf spill damage claims from BP just over three weeks ago, has faced growing frustration from many claimants who have yet to see a check.

Although his Gulf Coast Claims Facility has approved payments of more than $150 million to date, participants in our BP Claims Project have reported delays, technical glitches and a lack of transparency in the review process for their claims.

We spoke with Feinberg on Tuesday about some of the most widespread problems we’ve been hearing about from claimants, as well as some of our own questions about how his operation works. Feinberg said he was considering creating an ombudsman to increase transparency for claimants, and his spokeswoman Amy Weiss later provided us with more comprehensive claims data (PDF) that showed that nearly a quarter of applications have been found to have insufficient documentation to be processed.

We’ve divided our conversation with Feinberg into the main subjects that we covered.

Delays on pending claims

For many participants in our BP claims project, delayed responses to their applications are becoming an increasingly urgent problem. Claimants have reported falling behind on their bills and having to close down their businesses. In two cases, claimants have told us that they are in danger of eviction. The latest statistics (PDF) from the Gulf Coast Claims Facility indicate that 15,844 of 55,708 emergency payment claims have been paid, meaning that nearly 40,000 claims — about 70 percent of the claims filed — are still pending. Feinberg’s operation approves between 1,000 and 1,500 claims per day, which has raised concerns that it could take a month or more before each claim can be reviewed.

But on Tuesday, Feinberg told us that significantly fewer than 40,000 claims include complete documentation. “Do not assume that all claims that are supposedly pending are ready to be processed,” he said. Feinberg said that thousands of claims are insufficiently documented, ineligible, duplicative or “suspicious,” and that the wait for claims that are fully documented and under review would be closer to two weeks. His office later released new statistics that indicated that 14,365 claims, slightly under a quarter of all claims submitted to date, do not have enough documentation to be processed, while 29,636 claims are currently under review.

These statistics indicate that two weeks is a feasible but highly optimistic timeline for processing fully documented claims. For claims with insufficient documentation, Feinberg said that his office was in the process of sending out letters to these claimants requesting further information. He did not commit to a timeline for how quickly a claimant could expect to receive notification if their claim was not fully documented.

Staffing of Feinberg’s operation

Last week, the Mobile Press-Register reported that Feinberg’s operation has 25 employees based in Washington, D.C., who review each claim, and approve a total of 1,000 claims per day. The report raised concerns that Feinberg’s organization was not adequately staffed, and that the Washington office was creating a bottleneck that delayed payments on claims.

Feinberg told us that he has kept the roughly 1,500 adjusters working in the Gulf from the Worley company (which was initially contracted by BP), but that he had added a final stop that claims must pass through before approval. “The last stop on the claims process is in Washington, D.C.,” Feinberg said. “All claims must go through this hub to ensure consistency. There are 25 employees in my office reviewing and finalizing claims.”

Feinberg said that adding more employees in the Washington would result in less consistency in payments, and that he was not considering hiring more there. If anything, Feinberg said that he would decrease the number of adjusters he has working in the Gulf as the volume of claims eases. “I’m comfortable with the staffing situation,” Feinberg said. “I’ve concluded that you reach a point of diminishing returns. I’m trying to improve efficiency.”

Increasing transparency for claimants

One of the most widespread problems that claimants have described is a lack of transparency in the claims review process. Applicants say that they are unable to speak with adjusters who have direct knowledge or decision power over their claims, and that telephone operators in Feinberg’s organization have no more information than is available on the claims website.

On Tuesday, Feinberg told us that he was considering changes to address this considerable source of frustration for applicants. “We are reconsidering how we can provide more transparency and more information to the claimant,” Feinberg said. “I’m thinking of providing a coordinator in each state who will be an ombudsman to help the claimant.”

We at ProPublica will continue to follow up on whether this and other measures to improve transparency and customer service are put in place.

Claims facility performance

In the three weeks that he has managed the claims process, Feinberg has faced criticism for his operation’s performance – notably for making and then retreating from a pledge to process fully documented claims within two days for individuals and one week for businesses.

On Tuesday, Feinberg issued a sweeping defense of his organization’s work, saying that he considers his program to be a success and noting that he is sending out money at a faster rate than BP. (Feinberg has paid out about $151 million in claims in a little over three weeks, while BP paid out approximately $400 million in about three and a half months.)

As he has in the past, Feinberg said that “I share blame” for the delays that have occurred, but said that the general picture was positive. “I want to emphasize that I think that overall the program is a success,” Feinberg said. “We are being more generous than BP ever was, and we are getting the money out faster than BP ever got it out.”

136 comments

“I want to emphasize that I think that overall the program is a success,” Feinberg said. “We are being more generous than BP ever was, and we are getting the money out faster than BP ever got it out.”

It was not the legislative intent of Congress for OPA to limit an oil spill victim’s right to seek full compensation from the responsible party. Unfortunately, GCCF, with the complete political and financial support of the Obama administration but without any legal authority for doing so, circumvents many of the rights provided to oil spill victims under OPA. Moreover, the fact that future production payments pertaining to BP’s U.S. oil and natural gas production, rather than hard U.S. assets, are being used as collateral by BP guarantees BP’s continued long-term operation in the offshore Gulf of Mexico E&P sector. Ironically, the federal government has acquired a vested interest in ensuring the financial well-being of BP.

Fortunately, there is no need for GCCF. A victim may merely present a claim for damages to BP and wait 90 days. If BP does not pay the claim, the victim may present the claim to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (the Fund). The Fund could either pay the victim the amount owed or provide a temporary loan to the victim and then the U.S. Attorney General may commence an action on behalf of the Fund against BP and collect the amount from BP. “Any person, including the Fund, who pays compensation pursuant to OPA to any claimant for damages shall be subrogated to all rights, claims, and causes of action that the claimant has under any other law.” 33 U.S.C. § 2715

Each individual claimant/potential plaintiff who has suffered damages as a result of the BP oil spill of April, 2010 should immediately seek competent legal counsel to directly represent his or her interests. Given that the damages suffered by the vast majority of individual potential plaintiffs as a result of the BP oil spill of April, 2010 are potentially so great and will be on-going, class treatment may not be necessary to permit effective litigation of the claim. Here, when the amount of damages suffered by the individual is so great, the filing of an individual lawsuit should be economically feasible and may be in the best interests of the plaintiff. This decision should be made by the potential plaintiff only after a thorough consultation with his or her legal counsel.

thats the biggest bunch of crap they have had every document they have asked me for since july and now my status says they need more what thje hell is wrong with these people and he is a big fat liar they have issued less money to people i know and all they do is jerk me around and now i guess it is time to get my self a lawyer because i am sick and tired of the lies my bills are out of control and i have kids to feed what about that i bet he has food on his table

Want to know why all the claims lack documentation? Because BP sent 2 semis of paper to Dublin Oh to be scanned. Most of it is scanned under some other file number or not scanned at all. I know for a fact that none of the documents i gave to BP made it to my file, except for a few pages, and that even documents uploaded to my GCCF file via their website are not in my file.
I don’t believe Mr. Feinberg is ignorant or incompetent, so this has to be for a reason. Working for BP is probably the answer.

Today, for the first time, the GCCF hotline was able to tell me that they could see the amount I was claiming for a 6 month emergency check and that they could also see that all of my documentation was considered complete. This is more information than I have ever received before. The man I spoke with said he would think I should know the status within the next week. I have no idea why he said that or if it will come to pass, but the Florida Attorney General and the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Assn. have done a great job in putting some pressure on Feinberg to accept claims in Florida that are not in proximity to the oil spill since Florida is so dependent on tourism.

You’re quite generous to think Feinberg is not ignorant or incompetent at this stage. I think anyone who goes around touting how successful their fund distribution is while the people waiting for their distributions from said fund are getting evicted, having lights shut off, losing vehicles, and having trouble getting enough food to feed their families, is at best ignorant or incompetent, and at worse, intentionally so.

Funny he tells the people he is going to appoint an ombudsman to deal with them directly, but he tells McCollum in Florida he is going to make a czar for each state to deal with the government. Sounds like that person is going to be inundated. Going to appoint a person to take the heat so Feinberg doesnt have to listen to it.
He is not stupid he is very shrewd. Just figure who he works for and that delay is in BPs favor and you can understand why they call him Lieberg.

I simply want to know why we are not receiving our actual losses. Several people I have spoken to have not received their actual losses. Are they just going to pay us X amount of money to keep us quiet and then say the rest will come with final payout? For a six month time period, our loss is $12,000—we received $3,000. I wish my bank would let me make only a quarter of my payment or that the electric company would only charge me 1/4 of my electric bill. I’m not asking for anymore than what is due to us—at least when BP was processing our claims, we had people to speak to and you could pick your check up right at the office. I’m in tears, not sure how we are going to make it through the winter—- let alone thinking of what kind of Christmas we will have and this jerk says that this whole operation is a success? Come to my house and tell that to my children, please.

I do think it is time for all of us having problems contact the State Attorney for our state.
I received a phone call yesterday from the CALL CENTER, and I was told our claim is now in an expedited status and someone was actually physically reviewing my file. I asked specifically if my file was complete, and I was told that all of the required documents were in our file. I also asked if there was a problem encountered while being reviewed, how with the adjuster working my file let me know. I was told the protocol was TO CALL the claimant and let them know about the problem.
Now Lieberg says they’re going to send letters?? This is going to hold up the process even more.

This is a joke.
I hope that they pay us what we requested because it is the amount of our losses….if we get paid at all…because even in EXPEDITED mode we’re stil UNDER REVIEW…wtf because our claim is so simple. They must have monkeys going over the claim.

Also, the 1500 he kept on from the Worley company just sit in the claims offices to help fill out applications, they dont actually adjust the claims or review anything.

Propublica is really lacking in their journalism of this. They need to get to the meat and potatoes and stop asking the same questions and start attacking the rehearsed answers and acuatlly get the right information about the lies.

I have a friend in West Palm Beach that received a check for $500,000.00 for the depreciation of their home on the beach. Fabulous. And their check was in the two day time period. I am still waiting to ever hear anything about my claim. What the heck does West Palm Beach have to claim when not a drop of oil or polluted air fell on their pristine abode. And what does depreciation have to do with a claim?? Yep, they must have had a lawyer draw up their papers to ‘appear’ as a victim. Yep, what kind of victim is that? They stole!!

$500k for depreciation on the beach? That isnt in the proximity nor is it an eligible loss type. Find out how they did it and post their lawyers name here if you would please. That sounds like BS. If this is a friend then you should be able to get to talk to them and all the information. Alot of corrupt politicians down in West Palm.

Don’t be so hard on Pro Publica. If you know of another news organization that is on this, let us know. I don’t think any other organization is covering this. They are just reporting on what they were told. Of course, we know they are being told lies and bull shit. But how can they prove the truth? They are asking for BP adjusters to come forward and tell their story. I hope some of them do so can hear what we already know..Feinberg has created the biggest mess and doesn’t care if everyone on the Gulf Coast starves. He took a simple process and complicated it. My claim has been “under review” since Aug 23rd. If I’m understanding this correctly, he can come back after it’s been sitting there for a month and tell me I need more documentation??? If they know some claims don’t have documentaion, why weren’t the claimants told that immediately so they could have resubmitted it?? They’ve been sitting on this for weeks and they are just now sending letters???? This is just another way to delay paying. They should pay everyone who submitted a claim who can prove they lived and worked in the area of the spill. If they end up paying some that shouldn’t have been paid, go after them later and get the money back. 90% of us have to suffer becuase of the 10% that may not be legit claims??? I’ll bet it isn’t even 10%. If he is the claims"czar” he should know what % may not legit. Send us SOMETHING, a $2500 emergency check. If he has 25 adjusters and he took 20 of them “on tour” with him, who is paying the claims? He is so smug and self righteous. He makes me SICK. He continues to say he is doing a better job than BP did, but he isn’t paying 6x more $ and he is supposed to be giving 6 month payments.If you look at that, BP did a much better job.

I work with a cleaning partner and we make the same amount of money, work for the same company, same hours, same documentation, same everything, yet she received twice as much money from her claim, even though the claims were identical to the penny. I had to email the gccf to get them to review my claim again. I did receive another check but am still far behind her and we both are still nowhere near what we claimed and we claimed only losses, nothing extra. so, it’s possible the individual reviewers are not looking at claims the same way. btw, I am 27 years older than my cleaning partner, maybe the gccf hopes I die before the final payment!

Go to google and type in National Pollution Fund. It will bring you to a Coast Guard site. On the links on the left side of the site you see Oil Spill Claims. Call the number or follow the steps to file a claim. They can only pay you for what you have lost and have to have been 90 days since BP hasn’t paid you but they want people to file claims.

There were several people in Palm Beach that got checks. Now that I am alerted to this, they are withholding information from me. They thought it was such easy money and a joke. Not a joke to me, I live in Louisiana.

Name some names or attorneys in Palm Beach, Bennen i am sure people would like to speak to them about how they did that. They are not in his proximity zone so would be immediately discounted unless they had business interests on the gulf coast. If its second hand information then probably not reliable.

i had a long talk with Sasha Chavkin the other day and i am one of the people he spoke with about being evicted. since we spoke i have got no new results with my claim and now am looking at court procedings to start a the first of the week to force me and my faimly out. I would like to thank him for hearing my story and tell him to please keep the fire on these creeps the only thing they realy dont like is bad press , nothing else matters to them i hav seen that first hand. keep up the good work. as for gccf all of you can kiss my A@# THANKS FOR NOTHING!!!!! LIARS THEIFS . And lets stop reffering to them as the gulf coast claims facility call them what they realy are BRITISH PETROLEM OR BP. this whole thing is a pr campain and and damage control mission a big ploy on words. Finberg was hired by them from day one. Thank you agin Sasha Chavkin and propublica for trying to spread a little truth in a sea full of oil and lies.

all this crap about your claim being under review is just that ,CRAP.20 days now i still get the same answers ,at least i was able to pay my bills as of last month ,now i am looking at getting my power turned OFF,getting kicked out of my apt.at least i could talk to a adjuster with BP,and make some kind of progress,but not NOW.why has the press and tv networks gotten hold of this and put the pressure on gccf and those in charge of running it ,everything was to run better when gccf took over but has not it is moving backwords,if enough of us who are tired of getting the runaroundfrom gccfwould start calling the govener,attorneygeneraland state reps maybe we can put some pressure on these@#$%@%^&&

This claims facility is such a joke.We can all thank Mr Obama for putting this clown in charge.If he doesn’t pay out a lot of the money I’m sure the government gets to keep what is left.This is a great example of the government sticking it’s nose where it did not belong.At least BP was paying most people and businesses and you actually got to talk to a real person that had answers.We all know that Mr Feinburg is feeding his family and paying his bills.Why is it all of a sudden some claims don’t have enough paperwork.I feel if you were getting payments from BP you should already be qualified for emergency payments.We all know BP scrutinized all claims before paying.

What’s the answer Mr Feinberg? If you only have such FEW people making payment determinations…..how can you not know the number ....why give 2 answers ..., talking out of both sides of your mouth AGAIN??!!

I received a phone call yesterday from the CALL CENTER, and I was told our claim is now in an expedited status and someone was actually physically reviewing my file.

How did you get your file expedited?! I’ve emailed Obsma, my governor and state rep. a lot AND GCCF asking how to get my file expedited since I’m still 100% laid off from my job as a supervisor at a seafood processing plant. I hear nothing back from any goverment person and only get the canned Stuff from GCCF.

Help a sister out…I actually went to be hungry tonight….this really sucks.

What I did is google The Garden City Group, that is the company actually processing the claims. I looked through the directory of ppl and picked out a lady who is the Director of the Class Action section of their company. I didn’t know if she would be any one to talk to…....but I went on faith. I emailed her with our claim number and explained our situation.
I got a call back from the call center two days later saying the call was in response to my email and that my claim has been expedited.
HOWEVER, IT WAS EXPEDIDTED ON THE 13TH….AND HERE WE ARE 4 DAYS LATER STILL UNDER REVIEW. It was another lie, because if someone was actually physically reviewing the claim it would have been done already. My husband’s claim (from the application to his back up docs) is about 30 peices of paper…..no reason to take 4 days to review.
Eventhough I felt better when they said it was escalated…I just fell for another lie.

seriously. I’ve called the governor, the president, the senator….FBI, reported Feinberg as fraud, and still nothing is being done….
ALL OF US HAVE TO MAKE THESE CALLS…we have power in numbers.

God bless you all. God bless us all. He will provide and he will have the last say. Trust in the Lord during this time.

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THEY ASKING FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM ME, THEY ARE STALLING TO PAY BIG CLAIMS, I GET 5 DIFFRENT ASNWERS EVERY TIME I CALL, THEY ARE JUST SITTING ON THE MONEY TO GET THE INTEREST OFF THE 20 BILLION, I TOLD THEM THEY OWE ME ANOTHER MONTH AND INTEREST FOR STALLING A MONTH ON MY CLAIM.

IF THIS COMPANY IS IN WASHINGTON DC , WHY DID MY PAPER WORK COME FROM PA, NOT OHIO OR DC BUT PA I HAVE THE PAPER WORK STAMPED FROM PA , LIKE THE FBI OR JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, BRING IT ON YOU FUCKEN BASTARDS, I WILL SEE YOU ALL IN HELL, YOU BASTARDS HAVE KILLED ALL OF US OFF FOR THE MONEY AND OIL .

I just read the comments on the Fox News web site’s story about Feinberg’s visit to Orange Beach on Wednesday. The 20 “adjusters” he brought with him on his apology tour did not even have computers to access claimant’s information. They just took notes while speaking to victims. Does anyone really think they will go back to their office in DC, Ohio or where ever and refer to those notes to look up info on the files? At least he could have given them laptops to make it LOOK like they were trying to expedite claims. This man’s incompetence is Gold Medal Olympic. Why is Feinberg allowed to get away with this??? I can’t believe there is nothing we can do about this.

The last person I talked to AT THE GCCF was in Ohio. They told me the same thing some one was physically looking at my file she said that was good better that alot of claims she said. She was joking around saying yeah, they are just paying the call line folks to be yelled at. Please we ARE DYING DOWN HERE. I’m a single mom and have my own business across from the beach, I rely 90% on tourism. I turned in everything to bp each month and got a check each month and now nothing. I am 50 and will have to apply for food stamps for the first time in my life. There is still oil on the beach they are out there BURYING IT EVERY DAY. They are not allowed to talk to any one WHERE IS THE MEDIA COVERAGE NOW????? DEAD THINGS ARE WASHING UP ON THE BEACH BUT OOOOOO THE SEAFOOD IS ALL SAFE. Don’t believe the government lies trust your gut

SMALL OWNER, I FEEL FOR YOU I HAVE BENN ON FOOD STAMPS FOR THE LAST 6 MONTHS,, I WAS PROMISED A REAL JOB IN THIS FEILD OF OIL AND BUILDING SHIPS MAKING MONEY , THIS WAS ONE OF OBAMA TRAINING CLASSES , MY LAST CHANCE, NO UNEMPLOYMENT LEFT AND SCHOOL FOR 6 MONTHS, AND THEN THIS HAPPEN AT MY GRADUATION , GREAT HUH, AND NOW MONTHS LATER I STILL HAVE NO JOB NO MONEY , JUST A STUPID PAPER AND MORE LIES FROM THIS COMPANY EVERYDAY, I WILL SEE ALL OF THEM IN HELL, YOU CAN BANK ON THAT PEOPLE

I called on my claim after reading the above postings only to be told the same “claim under review” I also had an GCCF phone operator tell me my claim had been approved and to call back the next day for the amounts to be paid. Called back the next day and was told that was not the case.

I feel for the GCCF Ohio staff as they must handle a ton of calls that are no fun and they have no way of supply an answer. I am sure they are catch a fair share of abuse over something they have no control of. They shouldn’t give false information no matter what happens.

I would like to know if anyone that attended the Orange Beech meeting on Wed has heard anything from GCCF as Feinberg stated we would if we gave our information to his people so they could look at our claims. I’m compiling a list of names.. and claim numbers to send to Sen. Trip Pittman so he can follow up on why Feinberg hasn’t kept his word again. Please email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

I’m offering any company, individual, grant writer, financial institution, organization, media outlet, political party and anyone else I have not listed a $25,000 CASH REWARD if they can secure or unsecure, lend or borrow, gift or invest procure within 10 days of this notice to my company $300,000.00 (three hundred thousand) dollars in order to keep my business in business. GCCF is a JOKE. The emergency funding is not funding anything but their own pockets. The Small Business Administration Disaster Business Loan Program has denied 98% of the applicants from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Feinberg is letting good hardworking tax paying Gulf Coast citizens die with all the oyster beds. On September 27, 2010 I will give 17 employees their final pay and put an OUT OF BUSINESS SIGN on my business.

Sorry to hear it Gulf Coast, I feel your pain, I did $40 in business today in my retail store across from the Gulf. Small businees Loan??? Who in thier right mind would take a loan out and gamble on the future of Northwest Florida or any of the areas affected by the oil spill. It took 4 years for the ecosystem to crash in Valdez and it WILL crash here when contamination moves up the food chain and the families that are letting thier kids swim in the Gulf when the government has posted a big sign “swim at your own risk, these beaches have been affected by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill” to cover thier a**es. Then they won’t have to pay up when the kids get leukemia in 5-10 years. Like the dep said the 9/11 rescuers didn’t need to wear respirators and they died. Feinberg didn’t pay them either. We need a HUGE AGGRESSIVE law firm to take all our cases together.

Lets use the power of the internet and our status as American voters to get some actual action from the GCCF. If everyone copy and pasted and sent this following email to everyone on their email lists and asked them to send it to their email lists we can use the internet to make a strong political statement and maybe get President Obama to right this wrong that was created by Ken Feinberg. Send it to the White House and all your elected officials. Also there was a group created on Facebook with the same title.
Subject:
PRESIDENT OBAMA—PLEASE REPLACE KEN FEINBERG
President Obama—you did right by getting BP to fund $20 billion for those injured by the gulf spill. But Ken Feinberg is the wrong person for the job. He is a person on BPs payroll whose only objective is to limit how much BP pays in damage claims. Thousands of small businesses and individuals are in severe financial straits due to the oil spill. Yet Feinberg continues to delay the processing of these claims or only pay a fraction of what the claimants suffered in damages. Now small businesses are closing and individuals are suffering severe financial problems.
This is a man lacking a moral compass. Instead of increasing the number of people to process the claims he continues to keep just 25 people doing it. Why? So he can continue to control the lack of or reduction of claim payments in a small closely held group of his own inner circle.
He has the money to pay every claim in full and still be under the $3 billion he has available right now. Yet he continues to process claims like there is no money available. Who gains by this strategy? Only BP.
This is not what you stand for? Make it right and replace Ken Feinberg

I took a look at the Coast Guard site..this is what their website says - that you must fine a claim with BP/GCCF first. Good to know there is a backup however.

“U.S. Coast Guard National Pollution Fund Center (NPFC) Claims
The NPFC administers the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which is governed by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Before filing a claim with NPFC, individuals, businesses, and local governments must first file a claim with BP as a Responsible Party. If BP denies the claim or the claim goes unsettled for 90 days, claimants may then apply to the NPFC.”

I have finally received a check from my original claim dated 8/23, although it was less than 3/4 what I submitted. I have since submitted a supplemental claim, which is under review. Glad to see at least something came out of them but not stopping getting the full claim paid.

Did anyone happen to make a copy of the Protocol and Eligibility Criteria forms listed on the GCCF site prior to last week? I’ve been copying the documents on a daily basis and discovered there are wording changes in the documents.

If these documents keep changing we won’t have any Eligibilty Criteria left to follow. I’m seeing very suttle changes…of course all the changes benefit BP.

If you do have a copy could you send to me please.. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

I’m offering any company, individual, grant writer, financial institution, organization, media outlet, political party and anyone else I have not listed a $25,000 CASH REWARD if they can secure or unsecure, lend or borrow, gift or invest procure within 10 days of this notice to my company $300,000.00 (three hundred thousand) dollars in order to keep my business in business. GCCF is a JOKE. The emergency funding is not funding anything but their own pockets. The Small Business Administration Disaster Business Loan Program has denied 98% of the applicants from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Feinberg is letting good hardworking tax paying Gulf Coast citizens die with all the oyster beds. On September 27, 2010 I will give 17 employees their final pay and put an OUT OF BUSINESS SIGN on my business.

This is my final last effort to save my company from ruins.

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)——————————————————————

Oh my I am so sorry for this to happen to all of you. My heart breaks for everyone of you and if I could I would help. My husband lost his job dredging in the gulf and was off 8 weeks without any pay but with Prayer and everything else he found another job with less pay but we do not live in the gulf area. We are still hurting and so far behind but nothing like all of you. May God Bless each and everyone that this mess has afftected your life and if Mr Fienberg is doing what they say may God grant him back a 100 fold of what he is doing to you guys.

I just e mailed all of my representatives; Obama, Jeff Miller, Charlie Crist, Alex Sink, Bill Nelson, Don Gaetz and George Lemieux. I don’t know if it will help or even make a difference but I know it won’t hurt. I just called GCCF, like I do a few times a day. I asked the usual “what’s going on with my claim?’” and of course he had no idea so I told him Feinberg told us a few days ago that we would be able to get more information. He asked me “when has Feinberg ever told the truth?” He then went on to tell me how fed up everyone there is. I call a few times every day and that is the first time I have had one their employees actually vent to me. Even the call center employees aren’t covering his ass anymore. I’m sure they are all tired of being cussed at, threatened,etc. I pray that ProPublica gets enough response to their request to talk to BP and/or GCCF reps. I would love to hear their side of it. Feinberg needs to be investigated. I heard that he is being paid from the interest on the fund which is the reason why he is holding on to as much money as long as he can.

Well….it just keeps going from BAD to worse….
Please don’t get mr wrong with the following post…I AM HAPPY for anyone who can get $$$ out of Lieberg but his latest lie is just unfair….

I live in MS and as a couple of days ago we were at appx 19% claims paid while AL, FL & LA were all at about 30% claims paid. So the lucky people of AL have a Governor to stand up for them which is awesome. Feinbergs solution to the SLOW/NO pay from GCCF is to expedite AL business claims ahead of everybody else. So the rest of us, especially MS who is only 2/3’s claims being paid of other states gets even SLOWER!! This is not fair and an outrage!

I have emailed Obama, MS Gov Haley Barbour & Rep Gene Taylor, the Sun Herald, WLOX (local ABC news station) every day for the past 2 weeks and have had ZERO responses! This is a copy of my latest email .....

Ken Feinberg says he’ll expedite Alabama oil spill business claims

Copy of email sent to Gov Barbour:
Dear Gov,
This is an absolute outrage for Mississippians!!! Both Gov’s from FL & AL have written letters to Feinberg this week urging him to improve claims payments for people in their states. You might have well done the same but I can find no reporting of it. PLEASE help us here in MS! It is crazy that AL,LA&FL; are all already at appx 30% in claims paid while MS is at appx 19% and now AL is going to be expedited in FRONT of everybody else!!! We NEED YOUR HELP NOW!!

Well….it just keeps going from BAD to worse….
Please don’t get mr wrong with the following post…I AM HAPPY for anyone who can get $$$ out of Lieberg but his latest lie is just unfair….

I live in MS and as a couple of days ago we were at appx 19% claims paid while AL, FL & LA were all at about 30% claims paid. So the lucky people of AL have a Governor to stand up for them which is awesome. Feinbergs solution to the SLOW/NO pay from GCCF is to expedite AL business claims ahead of everybody else. So the rest of us, especially MS who is only 2/3’s claims being paid of other states gets even SLOWER!! This is not fair and an outrage!

I have emailed Obama, MS Gov Haley Barbour & Rep Gene Taylor, the Sun Herald, WLOX (local ABC news station) every day for the past 2 weeks and have had ZERO responses! This is a copy of my latest email .....

Ken Feinberg says he’ll expedite Alabama oil spill business claims

Copy of email sent to Gov Barbour:
Dear Gov,
This is an absolute outrage for Mississippians!!! Both Gov’s from FL & AL have written letters to Feinberg this week urging him to improve claims payments for people in their states. You might have well done the same but I can find no reporting of it. PLEASE help us here in MS! It is crazy that AL,LA&FL; are all already at appx 30% in claims paid while MS is at appx 19% and now AL is going to be expedited in FRONT of everybody else!!! We NEED YOUR HELP NOW!!

Just google Feinberg and you will see the article link posted today where he said he will pay AL businesses first now.

Just becuase he said he will expedite AL claims doesn’t mean he will do it. Remember, this man lies when the truth sounds better. I’m sure he just said that to get AL off his back for a few days. He has no intention of doing what he says he will do. On Wednesday, he was in Orange Beach AL making all kinds of pomises to speed up claims. As far as I know, no one that he made those promises to has been paid or even contacted. So don’t feel like you are being left behind becuase you are in MS. I have an Orange Beach PO box and a physical address in FL and I’m still waiting and steaming just like you.

I have offices in Alabama and Florida and I can tell you neither one is being paid first. I’m just waiting till next week to see if those of us that were in Orange Beach last week actually get paid.
***If no pay by the end of next week. This 50 yr old red headed Irish woman will let her little red horns out.

I will tell you why Feinberg is using the Dublin Oh call center. I too had a great conversation with one of the Feinberg robots for about an hour. You see they can’t hang up on you so if you keep talking they have to listen. That call center is in a big warehouse and it sits all by it self. Phone worker joked even if you people come up here to picket and put on a display no one would see it. Feinberg knows he is going to push us to our final straw and boiling point. He knows it’s going to get ugly. This isn’t his first rodeo.

@ Shary Jean - Thanks so much for the feedback! Have u heard anymore on ur “expedited” claim yet?

@ Terri - I’m sure that it’s more lies but just the thought of 4000 claims automatically moving on front of everybody else just because they’re from AL causes me a lot of anxiety. I’m in dire straits over this mess!

The first 3 states have there elected officials putting pressure on Feinberg. MS goverment has been silent for the people…the stats show it! At least Barbour can’t run for governor again. The rest of encumbent candidates in MS need to GO!

It was a really stupid thing for him to say. It just proves that he is an unqualified IDIOT. I don’t believe for one second that he is putting AL in front of the line but even if he was, why say it and piss everyone in MS and FL off. Did you know he has already paid claims in Texas, Virginia and southern FL? GCCF relaesed a list of the amount of $$ they have paid by state and by county. They might have taken it off of their website but it was there yesterday. How can he justify that ??? We’re down here struggling and has already paid people who were not directly impacted. Someone said he paid a home owner in Palm Beach $500,000 for depreciation but I don’t think it’s true. He has paid about $20k in Palm Beach so far, while we starve and fight off bill collectors and the repo man. Paid over a million in Galveston. No oil there, either.

This afternoon I called the GCCF and someone there said that on my claim it says it was being read by an adjuster. I was so happy. But with all the lies going on I decided to call back and ask someone else and this person said they lied to me. they said it was wrong and it said nothing but in review.

She said they don’t know why this person said that except they are bored.

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